There's also a Sakura West v Sakura East All-star womens XVs game being held as one of the events including the mens XVs Japan XV v Asia-Pacific Dragons game, making up the Kansai region rugby festival at Hanazono Stadium in Osaka today. Basically it's an all Japan trial for the women's XVs NT to play in the Asian Champs in June in HKG. No players involved in the 7s squad or training group are involved.

A very nice investigating work made by ScrumQueens to find the details of the story of Kathleen Trick, the "Mona Lisa of rugby".The springboks' dress of this little girl with a sulky face, painted in 1907, was a mystery, but now many pieces of the story have been brought up to the lighthttp://www.scrumqueens.com/news/more-fi ... -springbok

My english is not so good, the synonym of "sulky" in my language has not a negative connotation. I just wanted to say that she's not smiling and perhaps a bit bored. About standing still, perhaps the painting is based on a photo; in this case the standing time would have been very shorter. I'm not an expert but the quality of the painting, overall in the details of the face, seems high; I very like it

I suspect the streamlining will be time, with qualification squeezed into a period between the end of the 2016 Olympics and roughly the end of the 2017 Six Nations. For 2014 what qualification there was was spread over about two years (ie 2012 and 2013 6N).

Difficult to see that you could have any WRWC qualification tournaments before the Olympics, esp with the Olympic qualification process taking most of 2015.

Of course it all pre-supposes that much more than 12 teams enter. If Australia do not finish in the top 4 in Paris I can see them giving up on 15s altogther (I'm not wildly sure that they would have bothered this year if they had had to qualify first), while of the active 15s nations in Europe I think only Spain (outside the 6N) would bother. Add in four Asian teams, three in Africa, and two from North America then you only need to slim 18 down to 12 - which would hardly be difficult.

Last weekend São Paulo State Federation organized an Women's XV-a-side event. Three sides played each other with reduced time:

SPAC/Band Saracens 10 x 6 Rio Branco

Rio Branco 43 x 0 Mackenzie/Acauã/Indaiá

Mackenzie/Acauã/Indaiá 0 x 74 SPAC/Band Saracens

In Brazil women's rugby is exclusively sevens, but there are many clubs in the whole country and XVs can be started, for sure. The problem is that Brazilian Rugby Confederation made clear that Women's XVs is the "last priority". Olympic sevens is everything for CBRu. Probably we'll have to wait the end of 2016 to start think seriously about Women's XVs...

This is not an easy answer should or shouldn't be Rugby XV's in Latin America? I have written about the issues currently facing the continent on Scrum Queens. Brasil is dictated by CONSUR the regional governing body.

I don't agree is the last priority. Olympic Sports will always be the priority since Rugby receives funding and the Latin Psyche has always been Olympics take precedence. In the case of Brasil is not a matter of just having Rugby XV's the question here is how do you maintain sustainability and can it be maintained as a viable force.

Furthermore you got the South American Games (ODESUR) in 2018 will the same level of funding currently being provided to all Olympic Sports in Brasil be maintained once the games are over?

In terms of qualification for the WRWC in my opinion it should be 16 teams to at least allow more African or Asian nations, I don't understand the logic of having 12 teams is a very insular look at Women's Rugby.

Furthermore you got the South American Games (ODESUR) in 2018 will the same level of funding currently being provided to all Olympic Sports in Brasil be maintained once the games are over?

Nobody knows what will happen after 2016. In fact, after 2018, when we'll have new presidential elections. I fear that amateur sports will experience setbacks.

Brazilian women's rugby priority must be U18s. Competitions are just begining and there are few under age players. However, we are experiencing a boom of clubs with women's sides, all over Brazil, in dozens of states. Which means Brazilian rugby has now an impressive pool of players. But most of them playing in small clubs with poor training structures and few well-prepared technical staff.

Women's XV must be taken more seriously because it's the essence of rugby game, more democratic for different physical types. It's more inclusive and for sure is an encouragement for new girls start playing rugby. In national team level it would be the possibility for another Brazilian side reach an World Cup, which is good for self-esteem of players, another encouragement for new girls, and a good marketing.

Australia has played 33 tests prior to this, their first being in 1994, a 37-nil loss to the Black Ferns. Since then, they've become one of the bigger names in women's rugby, although this will only be their second match since the 2010 World Cup (where they finished 3rd).

Current Rank: 4th, with 45.02 points

Canada is certainly a more experienced side, having recently played their 100th test match in April (a narrow win over their regional rivals, the United States). They also have a much longer history, dating all the way back to 1987, one of the first few teams to take women's rugby seriously. They won the Nations Cup in 2013, and have shown they can go head-to-head with the world's best.

New Zealand have the higest win percentage of any women's rugby team. They won their first six games without difficulty, before taking their first loss to the US in the 1991 World Cup. They've won every World Cup since 1998, and they show no signs of slowing down any time soon.

Current Rank: 1st, with 53.82 points

Samoa is the newest team of the four, playing their first test just 14 years ago, a 12-10 loss to Japan. They've been stronger than many others in the past, surprising Ireland, Kazakhstan, and Wales in the 2002 World Cup. However, this will be their first match in over a year (when they qualified for the World Cup), and it won't be easy.

From where this team started from - 5 people to the first training session last year - to putting up a good fight for the first 30mins, it is close to a miracle. The aim for the world cup is to get 1 win, maybe 2.

Canada lost to the Black Ferns, no surprise there... but they lost 16-8. That's the closest they've ever been. The next best was a 24-8 loss in 1991.

Unrelated: Did people enjoy the "match profiles" I did a few posts up, or was it trivia that you just scrolled past? I won't be offended, I just don't want to clutter the forums if it's only for my benefit